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December 8, 2024
Hesse police will be supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the analysis of video material in the future. A corresponding bill to strengthen internal security is currently being discussed in the Hessian state parliament and is expected to be passed next week. The use of AI is part of a broader strategy to modernize police work and is intended to increase efficiency in law enforcement and threat prevention.
With the help of intelligent image analysis software, the police should be able to evaluate large amounts of video material from public places more efficiently. The system should detect suspicious movement patterns that could indicate an impending crime. The detection of weapons in image material should also be enabled by AI. Under certain conditions, the police should be allowed to mark suspicious persons in the video material to facilitate further observation and, if necessary, intervention.
In situations that pose a significant threat to life and limb, the police should be allowed to use biometric real-time remote identification in the future. This means that a search for potential perpetrators can be carried out in police databases in real time based on image material. However, the bill emphasizes that this form of identification must always be verified by a police officer. The search for missing persons, kidnapping victims, and victims of human trafficking or sexual exploitation should also be possible with the help of AI-supported video analysis under certain conditions.
The bill justifies the use of AI with the enormous effort involved in the manual evaluation of video material. The current police resources are not sufficient to analyze the accruing data volumes completely and quickly enough. The use of AI software should relieve the police and significantly increase the efficiency of video surveillance, particularly in crime hotspots such as the Frankfurt train station district. The aim is to prevent crimes more effectively and to improve the protection of potential victims.
Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) supports the use of AI in police work and emphasizes the preventive effect of intelligent video surveillance. However, he makes it clear that AI only has a supporting function and that the final decision will always be made by a human.
Hesse police are already using AI in various areas, including the fight against child abuse. Here, the technology supports investigators in evaluating large amounts of image and video material. Automatic speech recognition for recording interrogations has also proven itself in practice.
In addition to the use of AI, the bill provides for further measures to strengthen internal security. These include the expansion of video surveillance in particularly vulnerable locations, the expanded use of body cams, including in homes, and more powers for the police in taking people into custody. The use of electronic ankle bracelets, for example to protect women from violence, should also be expanded.
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